Traffic deaths up, according to NHTSA report

7.7 percent increase in 2015

Posted July 6, 2016

Data released on July 1, 2016, by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows a 7.7 percent increase in motor vehicle traffic deaths in 2015. An estimated 35,200 people died in 2015, up from the 32,675 reported fatalities in 2014.

Although the data is preliminary and requires additional analysis, the early NHTSA estimate shows 9 out of 10 regions within the United States had increased traffic deaths in 2015. The most significant increases came for pedestrians and bicyclists.

When the final dataset is released later this summer, the Department of Transportation (DOT) and NHTSA will issue a call to action to safety partners, state and local elected officials, technologists, data scientists and policy experts to assist in providing solutions to improve safety and reduce deaths caused by motor vehicles.

The DOT is also promoting the development of automated safety technologies which could greatly decrease the number of crashes. NHTSA hosted two public meetings on automated safety technologies, in advance of guidance that will be issued later this summer.

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